The best Dolby Atmos soundbars in 2024 bring the movies to your living room
Whether you're watching a new TV show or having a family movie night, you want the best sound you can possibly get from your home entertainment system. But setting up immersive sound can be a bit of a pain, and quite expensive at that. If you don't have the room for an entire set of speakers or you want to keep things simple and affordable, a soundbar is a great alternative.
And opting for a Dolby Atmos-enabled soundbar is a good idea. Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology that creates a three-dimensional soundscape. Unlike traditional surround sound systems, these soundbars use upward-firing speakers to project sound from above. This simulates the sound of overhead speakers without the need for the physical versions.
When choosing a Dolby Atmos soundbar, you have plenty of things to consider: number of channels, connectivity options, features like voice control and multi-room streaming and more. Some soundbars are compatible with your smart home, too. But which ones are worth your time? We've done all the work for you.
The best Dolby Atmos soundbars of 2024
- Best Dolby Atmos soundbar: Sony HT-A7000
- Best Dolby Atmos compact soundbar: Sonos Beam Gen 2
- Best surround sound Dolby Atmos soundbar: Vizio Elevate
- Best premium Dolby Atmos soundbar: Samsung HW-Q990D
- Best budget Dolby Atmos soundbar: Sony HT-S2000
Best Dolby Atmos soundbar: Sony HT-A7000
Sony delivers with this soundbar that features two upfiring speakers, a dual subwoofer and five front-facing drivers. With plenty of connectors, a lightweight form factor, and excellent audio with support for Dolby Vision as well as HDMI eARC, this is one option that should work well for just about anyone.
Dive into an action movie and experience deep, satisfying bass with crisp treble that shines dramatically from the front and sides of the speaker. It goes a long way toward making you feel like you're actually in the middle of your favorite movie, even without additional channels and speakers.
It's built solid with a reliably great-sounding low end, and it boasts sound that's in competition with even a full set of speakers for a home stereo system. And while it totally shines with Dolby Atmos-enabled content, it's just as good without it. Plus, you can use it to stream from your favorite platforms using platforms like Apple AirPlay 2 or Spotify Connect.
Best Dolby Atmos compact soundbar: Sonos Beam Gen 2
Sometimes space is at a premium in your home. That's why this compact option makes for a great addition to anyone's humble abode, even if there isn't very much room to accommodate any speakers.
With this model, you don't need any.
The first time you listen to Atmos-enabled content that becomes abundantly clear. It uses a special method to transfer sound into overhead and surrounding sounds, so it doesn't have to rely on physical speakers. You'd be fooled into thinking you're hearing sound above your head and around you with this soundbar, in ways that even seem to eclipse others in its cost bracket.
If you do have multiple speakers and other audio tech to link to, the Beam Gen 2 is a great addition to any wireless multiroom setup. Place its small body in one area and it can stream to other points in your home to build multilayered sound that mimics what you might get from a complete stereo system.
Best surround sound Dolby Atmos soundbar: Vizio Elevate
This soundbar system has more of the bells and whistles than many of the others on this list. It's part of a complete 5.1.4 soundbar system that comes with rear speakers and a wireless sub. That helps its ability to bring Atmos sound down to regular surround sound levels and quality for a delightful blend that brings you excellent audio for whatever you decide to watch or listen to.
You get rotating speakers to set up alongside your soundbar, which contributes to the higher price of this array, so if you need simplicity, you're not going to find it here. You get rear speakers as well as a subwoofer and a remote with this package. The main speaker includes 13 drivers, a center channel and five tweeters. The soundbar itself is hardy but extremely large compared to competitors, so that's something to keep in mind as well.
You get a variety of inputs to hook up your soundbar and speakers, including multiple HDMI slots and support for eARC with an HDMI output as well. You can also connect via Wi-Fi and options like Spotify Connect, but there's no Apple AirPlay to speak of. With all the ways you can connect and enjoy big, theatrical sound however, you don't really need all the additional bells and whistles to get some of the best Dolby Atmos audio money can buy, especially when it can envelop you like this system does.
Best premium Dolby Atmos soundbar: Samsung HW-Q990D
If you want a premium soundbar package with everything you need to handle Dolby Atmos sound, this option can deliver. You can expect to pay quite a bit of cash, but it'll make sure you have everything you need for top-of-the-line Atmos sound with surround sound support without you having to shell out for an entire surround system.
You get the soundbar, two speakers, and a subwoofer with this package. The 11.1.4-channel system comes with 22 drivers, three forward-firing tweeters, six midrange drivers, two upfiring speakers and four side-firing speakers. The subwoofer is backed by a 20-centimeter driver. There's no shortage of power here and plenty of dynamic sound that could fool you into thinking you've put together an entire cinematic experience in your living room.
There are two HDMI 2.1 inputs that support a variety of features that are great for gaming and other entertainment, like and 4K, 120Hz and variable refresh rate (VRR). Movies and TV shows are where it really shines, though, and if you don't mind paying a significant amount of money for the best you can get, this Samsung setup has you covered and then some. You'll just need to make sure you have a place for all of the additional speakers in your living room.
Best budget Dolby Atmos soundbar: Sony HT-S2000
You don't have to spend a premium to get a great soundbar, and Sony has both ends of the spectrum covered. The Sony HT-S2000 is a value-priced soundbar that's smaller and compact than many of the other options out there, and it's less than $300 to boot. That's less than you'd pay for some video game consoles.
This clear- and crisp-sounding bar has a built-in subwoofer and features a 3.1-channel setup. Its power output of 250 watts makes for some powerful punch, and even though there are no upfiring drivers, you get the sense that there's still plenty of verticality to deal with, thanks to the soundbar's unique sound processing system. Keep in mind that there are no streaming options with this soundbar, but it's simple to hook up and move around if needed, thanks to its smaller size.
You might want to pay a bit more for a beefier setup if you have a large living room or if you want to be blown out of your seat with sound. But if all that's important to you is great audio that can enhance how much you enjoy your favorite movies at home, this is the soundbar to go with.
